The invention relates to a rifle with a shell to be inserted into a shaft, to which a barrel can be connected, and with a mounting rail fixed at the barrel and projecting backward-beyond the barrel for accommodating an aiming telescope.
To be able to re-equip a rifle for various applications it is known to change the barrel according to the respective requirements. Such an exchange of barrel requires an accurate connection between the barrel and its accommodating shell, in which the closure and the trigger are borne. Moreover, it must be ensured that changes resulting in the area of the aiming device are avoided, otherwise the rifle will have to be tested again after each barrel exchange. This is especially difficult when aiming telescopes are used, as a sufficiently exact alignment of the aiming telescope against the barrel requires a fixed correlation of the aiming telescope with the barrel. However, if the receptacle of the aiming telescope is not, as usual, assigned to the shell, but to the barrel, the aiming telescope must be moved forward, whereby the use of the aiming telescope is affected. It is true that the conventional arrangement of the aiming telescope at the shell ensures a favorable position of the aiming telescope relative to the rifleman, however, testing the rifle after each barrel exchange cannot be avoided, if an adequate aiming accuracy is demanded. To avoid these drawbacks, it is also known (U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,370 A) to solder onto the barrel a mounting rail projecting backward beyond the barrel, for accommodating the aiming telescope. As this mounting rail is assigned to the barrel and extends over the closure area above the shell accommodating the barrel such that the latter is exchangeable, the aiming telescope can be brought close enough to the eye of the rifleman to favorably utilize the range of vision covered by the aiming telescope, without having to test the rifle again after each barrel exchange. The drawback of this known construction, however, lies in the fact that, because of the necessary radial distance between the barrel axis and the axis of the aiming telescope, and due to the occurring power of repulsion when firing the shot, there are considerable bending stresses acting upon the mounting rail, which, with an increasing length of the mounting rail, lead to vibrations that can be kept within acceptable limits only by adequadely reinforcing the mounting rail freely projecting backward. However, any reinforcement of the mounting rail implies an increase of weight, which should be avoided as far as possible.
The invention has therefore the objective to design a rifle with an exchangeable barrel in such a way that a fixed correlation of a mounting rail, projecting backward beyond the barrel and accommodating the aiming telescop, is ensured without having to expect repulsion-related vibration problems or to put up with an increase of weight.
The objective of the invention is achieved in that the mounting rail for accommodating the aiming telescope engages in a shell guide.
As the mounting rail engages in a shell guide, the receptacle for the aiming telescope can be provided in the shell area, as this is the case with rifles with non-exchangeable barrels. This means that the radial distance between the barrel axis and the axis of the aiming telescope that is relevant for the bending stresses in the mounting rail, can be sufficiently reduced to avoid higher bending moments. Additionally, via the shell guide of the mounting rail, an efficient attenuation of possibly occurring vibrations in the area of the mounting rail can be achieved, so that, via the shell guide for the mounting rail, a receptacle of the aiming telescope meeting all requirements is provided. In spite of the engagement of the mounting rail in the shell guide the shell proper remains largely free from the power of repulsion occurring when firing the shot and transmitted to the mounting rail, so that the use of light-weighted plastic shells becomes possible.
Particularly favorable construction features are achieved in that the mounting rail forms a sleeve accommodating the barrel end which, in a simple way, permits a rigid connection of the mounting rail with the barrel, without having to modify the barrel. The barrel end may be glued into-this sleeve of the mounting rail.
If the barrel is safely fastened in the sleeve of the mounting rail, a favorable connection facility for the barrel with the shell is provided additionally, if the sleeve is equipped with a fastening ridge projecting radially or on the side opposite the mounting rail and locked in the shell. As the sleeve can be inserted into the shell with positive fit via the fastening ridge, a favorable power transmission between the barrel and the shell is achieved after locking the fastening ridge in the shell, so that the barrel and the shell are exposed to comparatively low strains during shooting, thus providing for a very simple and inexpensive construction. After all, due to the provided power-reducing connection of the mounting rail at the barrel, the power transmission between the barrel and the aiming telescope does not constitute any strain neither for the shaft nor for the shell.